Adhesive tape dispenser



July 29, 1941.

J. FQPILLER ADHESIVE TAPE DISPENSER Filed May 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1/5 c/F JOHN E /LLER.

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July 29, 1941. J. F. PILLER 2,250,774

ADHESIVE TAPE DISPENSER Filed May 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet :2

i S? I, as 54 i, I b l Z JOHN F ID/LLER Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John F, Piller, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Scholl' Mfg. 00., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application-May 13, 1939, Serial No. 273,527

7 Claims.

one-piece housing; oblong in shape and of metal or other suitable material, and-having'revolubly secured therein a removable shaft'upon which a series of rolls of adhesive tape ofthe same" or difierent widths may be mounted and the" strips withdrawn and torn off as desired: 'The said housing is provided with a longitudinal'opening strips of adhesive while being torn across an ex tending. serrated knife edge leaving the box sealed'and the strips of adhesive adhering tothe lower clamping surface to be thereafter out and cut to any lengtlr'desired.

One of the objects of'my invention then, is to'provide a dispensing box'of the type described above having a clamp andan adjacent cutting edge formed outside the box with the ends of each roll of adhesive tape adhering to the lower clamping surface. Thereafter a strip of adhesive tape of the desired width and length may be pulled'out, when the cover is in an opened position, and torn across the cutting edge, wlien the cover is closed, without thenecessity of -inserting the hand within the box, thereby eliminating any contact between the hand and'the cutting edge.

Another object ofmy invention is the provision of a convenient and sanitary box whereby the pulled adhesive rolls are mounted in such. a manner disengagedwith'thedisengagement-of'the'clamping surfaces, but where adhesive material is clamped such material adheres to the bottom clamping edge, and so the pr'esent'inventionprovides as a further object a stationary bar of wood or other suitable material, grooved-longitudinally or provided with an irregular surface along its upper side thereby providing a' clamping surface of fullwidth but providingless than afull surface for adhesion;

Still another" object of my-invention' is to provide a box of suitable'material so constructed as to be fastened to a wall'and containing rolls of material whereby strips of such rolls of any 1 desired'length may be torn 01f without contaminatingany other roll and after such stripsare tornofi" the box is left in a closed position;

Another object of" the present inventionv is to provide a container for adhesive rolls which may be used by the manufacturer as a shipping box or container and adapted for domestic or. com.- mercial use in dispensing, the adhesive in. strips of desired length.

While the disclosed embodiment of my. invention shows separate elements to form the clamp and cutting edge, it is possible to so shape the cover and engaging wall of thebox that the clamping surfaces. are formed thereon with the closing edge of the cover sharpened to form the cutting edge;

Other and further objects theinvention will more fully, appear from thefollowing detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate. the embodiments thereof, and .imwhich:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the dispensing box in an opened position. illustrating the use of severalrolls of adhesive tape of various widths andthe manner of stripping one ofthem without having to insert the handwithin the box after the tape is once pulled outa-nd adhered to the lower clamping surface:

Figure 2= is an enlargedend viewof'Figure 1 illustrating the-device attached to a'wall.

Figure 3 is" an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Figure 1 showing certain'parts in' elevation. 7

Figure 4 is across-sectional view'substantially the same as Figure 2 but illustrating the cover in a closed position with a strip of'tape clamped in position to be torn across the knife edge.

Figure 5 is a front cross-sectional view, as taken along line VV 'ofFi'gure 2,' Withicertain parts shown in elevation. I Y i Figure. 6 is a cross-sectional view as taken substanti'ally'along 'line-vr vror Figure 5' with .the cover in a closed position.

Figure 7 is afragmenta-ry cross-sectionalview as taken substantially along line VII-VII of Fig ure 1 illustrating the clamping bar and knife edge secured to the cover.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view as taken substantially along line VIII-VIII of Figure 1 illustrating the grooved clamping bar secured to a wall of the container box.

As shown on the drawings:

As shown in Figure 1, a box or container I is made of a single folded piece of any desired material, preferably metal, of slightly larger size than the rolls of adhesive tape 1 I, I2 and 13 to be carried therein. This box 19 is provided with rounded end portions 140. and Nb, a top 15 that extends to the rounded portions, a bottom l6 that 7 extends partially around the rounded end portions 14a and 14b and a back I1 having indented portions l8 and I9 for stiffness and provided with openings through which the box may be secured to a wall 28 or the like by screws 2| or other suitable fastening means, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Within this box 10, a revoluble cover 22 is supported by suitable angular bearing flanges 23 and 24 capable of rotating about stationary support bearings 25 and 26 and substantially centered relative to the rounded box ends Ma. and Mb, with the cover being confined in rotary movement to the width of the box opening defined by the top and bottom 16, as clearly shown in Figure 5. The closing edge 21 of cover 22 is bent outwardly, as illustrated in Figure 3, to limit the cover movement in an opening position and to form a surface to which a clamping bar 28 of wood or other suitable material, and an extended serrated knife edge 29 are secured within an angle 38. As shown on the drawings, the knife edge 29 extends slightly beyond the clamping bar 28. The opening defining edge of the box wall I6 is also bent outwardly to form a surface 3| for securing a clamping bar 32, also of wood or of such other material as used in the opposite clamping bar 28. This clamping bar 32 as shown, is provided with longitudinal grooves 33 and 34 whereby less surface is provided for adhesion than the clamping bar 28 provides for clamping, but the same function may be performed by the use of any irregular surface.

When the cover 22 is revolved to a closed position, as shown in Figure 2, the oppositely disposed surfaces 56 and 51 of the bars 28 and 32 form a clamp with the knife edge 29 adjacent thereto.

Referring to Figure 5, the stationary bearing 26, preferably of metal, has a recess 35 to support an end of a revoluble shaft 36, and is secured to the end wall MD of the box I0 at the center of its rounded portion by a rivet 31, or by any other suitable fastening means. The opposite end of the shaft 36 is supported within a stationary bearing 25 also provided with a recess 38 and secured to the opposite box end wall I4a at the center of its rounded portion by a rivet 39, or by other suitable fastening means. The support bearings 25 and 26 are alike only with respect to the finished outer bearing surfaces 40 and 41 to support the revoluble cover 22 and the recesses 38 and 35 for the retention of shaft 36. The support bearing 25 performs a further function of providing a means for lateral insertion of the shaft 36 within the recess 38, when the opposite end of the shaft is inserted in the recess 35 of bearing 26, and for locking said shaft when inserted within such recess 38. This is provided for by cutting an axial wall slot 42, as shown in Figure 6, to the length of the recess 38 andof sumcient width for inserting the shaft transversely into the said recess. Referring again to Figure 5, the bearing 25 is provided with an encircling slot or recess 43 on its outer surface and centered relative to the shaft recess 38 for retaining a slidable spring clip 44 which partially encircles the recess and is shaped with outwardly extending lips 45 oppositely spaced to nearly the diameter of the shaft 36. By turning this clip 44 to an open position, relative to the slot 42, the shaft can be inserted through the slot into the recess 38 and then by turning the clip one-half turn the slot is closed and the shaft is locked in position against accidental removal, as shown in Figure 6. It is necessary that the recesses 35 and 38 be slightly offset, having centers adjacent the centers of rivets 31 and 39 and in line with the transverse axis of the slot 42, so that the circumference of the shaft 36 is in close proximity to that part of the lock clip 44 which closes the slot 42, thereby reducing the side play of the shaft while being revolved.

As shown in Figure 5, the shaft 36 is solid but a hollow shaft of any material of sufiicient stiffness and strength may also be used. The assembly of adhesive tape rolls ll, l2 and I3 consists of as many different width rolls as the length of the box will contain. Each roll has an individual cardboard spacing spool 46 of the same width as the roll, and wax paper separators 41 on both sides thereof to prevent lateral adhesion with adjacent rolls. A spool is formed consisting of an end flange 48 with an extending tube 49 of the same length as the total width of the rolls of tape to be used, and a companion flange 58 also having an extending tube 5| to slidingly engage the inside of tube 49. The spoolassembly 52 is formed by sliding a sleeve 53, of cardboard or other suitable material, and as many rolls of adhesive tape with their spacers on the tube 49 as can be contained within the box, completing said assembly by inserting tube 51 within the companion tube 49 until the flange 50 abuts the end roll of tape forming a compact assembly adapted for mounting on the shaft 36. This combination of the shaft 36 and spool assembly 52 is then inserted and locked within the box ID in the same manner as the shaft alone is inserted and looked as described previously.

Figure 7 illustrates a more detailed construction of the cross section taken through the clamping bar 28 as described in Figure 3, showing a countersunk screw securing means 54 to fasten the clamping bar 28, the knife edge 29, and the angle container 30 to the outwardly bent surface 21 of the revoluble cover 22. Also illustrated is a crimped edge 55 of the box top 15 for rounding the edges and providing additional strength, this feature being used on the box wherever required. As shown, the clamping face 56 of the clamping bar 28 is fiat but it, too, like the oppositely disposed clamping surface 51 on the clamping ,bar 32, as illustrated in Figure 8, can be of a grooved or irregular construction. Clamping bar 32 is also secured by a countersunk screw 58 to the outwardly bent edge 3| of the box bottom I6 and is provided with a grooved or striated clamping surface 51 byv longitudinal grooves 33 and 34. While this is the preferred embodiment as illustrated, surface 51 can be decreased to offer less surface. adhesion by any irregular surface construction.

The method of dispensing strips of adhesive tape is shown in Figures 1 and 4. Figure 1 illustratesa strip of adhesive tape 59 pulled out and adhering to the lower clampingbar 32. Figure 4 llustrates the same strip of adhesive clamped by closing the cover 22 and showing the relative adjacent position of the knife edge 29 across which the adhesive strip is torn. As a preferred embodiment, knife edge 29 is serrated to facilitate the tearing of adhesive strips but it can also be a straight sharpened edge. After the rolls of adhesive tape are inserted within the box, the end of each rolled strip is pulled out and the cover is closed, leaving the, strip in a position as shown in Figure l. This places my invention in an operative position, for if any strip of tape is needed thereafter the cover is opened and a strip of desired width and length is pulled out, the cover is closed and the strip is then torn across the cutting edge. As the strips of tape are withdrawn, clamped and torn off to desired lengths, the ends adhere to the lower clamping surface 57 and so less surface is provided for adhesion thereon than for clamping by the top surface 56. These strips remain adhered tothe surface 51 until such time as the cover is opened and the ends released, pulled out and torn oif to further desired lengths. strips of desired width are handled without contaminating adjacent strips and the box is left in a closed position after each stripping operation.

Whenever necessary, all or any one of the rolls of adhesive tape may be replaced by removing the assembly 52' and the shaft 36, making the desired replacements and inserting the combination in the box as previously described.

It will, of course, be understood that various detailsof construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A box comprising a single folded piece of metal having an elongated withdrawal opening defined by the walls thereof, a revoluble shaft mounted within said box, said shaft being adapted to support rolls of adhesive tape which are unrolled through said opening, a revoluble cover mounted coaxially with said shaft and movable to close said opening, a clamping bar secured adjacent an edge of said cover, an extended serrated knife edge secured between said bar and said cover, a grooved clamping bar secured adjacent an edge of one of the said opening defining walls, said clamping bars adapted to be brought into lateral engagement when said cover is moved to a closed position to clamp unrolled strips of adhesive tape while being torn across said knife edge.

2. A box comprising a single folded piece of metal provided with an elongated withdrawal opening, a cover movable to close said opening, said movable cover having an outturned flange at its closing edge, a clamping bar secured to said flanged closing edge, a knife edge secured to said clamping bar and extending therefrom in the direction of closing movement of said cover, a grooved clamping bar secured to a Wall of said box, said clamping bars adapted to be brought into engagement when said cover is moved to a closed position thereby forming a clamp having an adjacent knife edge for cutting material withdrawn through said withdrawal opening.

By such an arrangement only i 3. A box comprising a single folded piece of metal provided with an elongated withdrawal opening, a wall edge of said box defining a side of said opening, said wall edge being turned outwardly to form a flange, a first clamping bar having an irregular engaging surface for less surface adhesion secured to said wall flange, a cover movable to close said opening, an outturned flange on the closing edge of said cover, a second clamping bar secured to said cover flange, a serrated knife edge secured to said second clamping bar and extending therefrom in the direction of closing movement of said cover, said clamping bars adapted to be brought into lateral engagement when said cover is moved to a closed position thereby forming a clamp having an outside adjacent cutting edge for cutting material withdrawn from the box.

4. In a dispensing device, a shaft end bearing comprising a longitudinally bored member, said bore being disposed in eccentric relation to the axis of said member, an elongated opening in the wall of said member through which the end of a shaft may be laterally inserted into said bore, an annular recess on the outer side of said member adjacent the mouth end thereof, and a spring member seated within said recess and shiftable to lock an inserted shaft against removal, said spring member when shifted into locking position bearing against a portion of an inserted shaft to hold it for rotation and against lateral displacement.

5. In a dispensing device, a releasable shaft end and cover support comprising a cylindrical bearing, a finished outer surface on said bearing for supporting a revoluble cover, a recess within said bearing for revolubly supporting an end of a shaft, a slot in the wall of said bearing extending the length of said recess and through which the end of a shaft may be inserted into said recess, an annular groove on the outside of said bearing adjacent the mouth end thereof, and a partially encircling slidable spring clip retained within said annular groove for closing said slot to retain the shaft within said bearing.

6. A dispensing container for continuous strip material having a withdrawal opening, a revoluble cover for closing said opening, a shaft mounted within said container, a tubular bearing for coaxially supporting one end of said shaft and said cover, .a tubular bearing for coaxially supporting the other end of said shaft and said cover, a supporting recess in said last bearing, a slot in the wall of said tubular bearing extending the length of said recess through which said shaft end may be inserted into said recess, an annular groove on the outer side of said last bearing adjacent the mouth end thereof, and a slidable spring clip retained within and partially encircling said annular groove for closing said slot and thereby operatively retaining the inserted shaft within said bearing.

7. In a dispensing device, a shaft end support comprising a tubular bearing, said bearing having a longitudinal shaft receiving opening, an annular recess adjacent an end of said bearing, and a turnable spring clip having a resiliently expansible shaft receiving mouth smaller than the diameter of the shaft confined within said recess whereby the shaft can be snapped through said mouth into said bearing when said mouth registers with said opening.

JOHN F. PIILER. 

